China is moving closer to its goal of becoming a "space superpower," as it the Chinese government expands the nation's international exchange space program for its astronauts.

This was revealed by Li Xinke of the Astronaut Center of China while providing a briefing to an international training mission for astronauts, according to China Daily.

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Also part of the mission is Ye Guangfu, the first Chinese astronaut to receive CAVES (Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behavior and performance Skills) training, an advanced training course for astronauts, organized by the European Space Agency (ESA).

The training was conducted at the Sa Grutta underground caves in Sardinia, Italy, and was participated in by prospective astronauts from Japan, Russia, Spain and the United States.

"In the future, China will strengthen international communication in astronaut training while also relying on our own efforts," Li said, adding that it is unclear whether more Chinese astronauts will be included in the CAVES training.

However, China is determined to move its space program forward and at a faster pace.

According to Huang Weifen, deputy chief designer of the center, the Chinese government is studying the possibility of developing its own CAVES program, as it has already examined several potential sites in the mainland.

During the CAVES training, Ye and five other training participants spent several days underground, as part of a simulated mission to explore another planet.

Among the main objectives of CAVES is to put trainees in environments that simulate spaceflight, and consequently, improve their leadership, teamwork, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

"It's dark, cold and damp, with the humidity reaching 99 percent," Ye shared.

But aside from the physical demands of the training, the biggest challenge his group faced was the cultural and linguistic differences among its members, which the team was eventually able to overcome. 

But with astronauts like Ye, China's space program is expected to reach newer heights. 

Tagschina, China space program